Baby Pearl
}} The Baby Pearl is a Japanese 3×4 folding camera, made from 1934 to 1950 by Konishiroku (predecessor of Konica). Dates: Miyazaki, pp.10–3. The Baby Pearl has the odd distinction of being the only camera to be named in John W. Dower's Embracing Defeat: Japan in the Wake of World War II (New York: Norton, 1999). Dower suggests that it was a postwar innovation and says that it was aimed at GI buyers. Most postwar examples would indeed have gone to GIs (as was true for most models of camera in the late forties, when most of the Japanese population was desperately poor); however, the design was prewar and the "Pearl" name goes all the way back to 1909. See also the Pearl (for plates and rollfilm), Pearl No.2, self-erecting 6×9 Pearl and 4.5×6 Pearl. General description Body The Baby Pearl is a vertical folder inspired by the Zeiss Ikon Baby Ikonta, but not a dead copy. It has incurved struts and a folding optical finder. The body edges are either black or chrome finished. The name BABY PEARL is embossed in the leather covering at the front. The back is hinged to the left and is locked by a sliding bar on the right — as seen by the photographer holding the camera horizontally. The film is advanced by a knob at the bottom right, and there are two red windows in the back to control its position. On most cameras, the main release is on the shutter casing and the folding bed release is close to the advance knob, but the last postwar examples have a body release and bed opening button symmetrically placed around the viewfinder (see below). Shutter The shutter is a Rox (B, 25, 50, 100), made by the company itself. The speed is selected by an index at the top of the shutter casing. The Rox shutter is self-cocking on most cameras, but the last examples with body release have a cocking lever. The shutter plate is always marked ROX at the top and has the manufacturer's name at the bottom. Its design was changed on various occasions: it is plain black on the earliest examples, then black with the aperture scale inscribed on a chrome rim, then a pair of chrome lines was added on either side of the lens (see the evolution below). The manufacturer's name at the bottom appears as Rokuoh-sha until the wartime period, then as Konishiroku. Rokuoh-sha was the name of Konishiroku's manufacturing branch until the company was reorganized as Konishiroku Shashin Kōgyō in 1943. At the time, the civilian production was probably stopped, and it is said that all the cameras with Konishiroku markings were made after 1945. Miyazaki, p.12–3; Masaki, p.47 of no.10. Lens Four different lenses were mounted on the Baby Pearl, all with 50mm focal length and focusing by turning the front element. The Optor f/6.3 and f/4.5 lenses are triplets designed by Konishiroku and manufactured by Asahi Kōgaku (predecessor of Pentax). Optor manufactured by Asahi Kōgaku: see this page of the R. Konishi website. The Hexar Ser.1 f/4.5 is a four-element lens, designed and made by Konishiroku itself, and an f/3.8 version was introduced in June 1937. Date: Masaki, p.46 of no.10. The lens bezel is black on the early cameras, and chrome on the later ones. All the Optor and Hexar Ser.1 lenses made before 1945 have Rokuoh-sha markings. After 1945, only the Hexar f/4.5 lens was continued with Konishiroku markings, and the name "Ser.1" was soon dropped. Lens coating was applied on the last examples with body release. Masaki, p.47 of no.10; Lewis, p.51. Evolution First model, knurled advance knob The Baby Pearl was introduced in May 1934. Masaki, p.45 of no.10; Awano, p.1 of no.42. See also the column in June 1934 announcing the camera, reproduced in Ikeuchi, p.15 of no.66. The first model is mainly recognized by the knurled advance knob, inspired by that of contemporary Voigtländer cameras. The two red windows are uncovered, and have a characteristic shape with a round indent allowing to see the number before it comes into the proper position. The viewfinder is all black and has a rectangular eyepiece. At least some examples have a hairline cross sight on the viewfinder's front window. The cross sight is visible in the advertisement dated May 1934 reproduced in Masaki, p.45 of no.10, and the author says that this is a feature of the first model. Inside the body, it is said that the pressure plate does not cover the full exposure chamber, but only a small portion on the supply side. Masaki, p.45 of no.10. The shutter plate is plain black and has the aperture scale engraved in white letters, with a red dot between 8 and 11. The lens bezel is black with white markings, such as Rokuoh-sha N°xxxx Optor 1:6.3 f=50m.m. One of the earliest advertisements, dated May 1934, shows this model and already lists three lens options: Advertisement reproduced in Masaki, p.45 of no.10. * Optor f/6.3, ; This version has been observed in online auctions. * Optor f/4.5, ; This version is pictured in Masaki, p.45 of no.10, and in this page at R. Konishi Rokuoh-sha. * Hexar f/4.5, . New advance knob and shutter rim After a few months, Masaki, p.45 of no.10, says that the change occurred in early 1935 but this is perhaps only a guess. the advance knob was replaced by a larger one with fine mills. (At least one example is known with this knob and the older shutter plate.) Example with Hexar Ser.1 f/4.5 pictured in this page of the Yamada Camera Museum. Soon after, the shutter plate received a nickel rim, with the aperture scale engraved in black letters and the same red dot between 8 and 11. Large metal knob and nickel shutter rim: examples pictured in Masaki, p.46 of no.10 (picture no.4), in Lewis, p.51, in , p.428, in , p.537, in , item 1151, here and here at Junk Binbō, and observed in online auctions. The nickel rim makes the shutter look like the modern rim-set units, but it is actually fixed. On some examples, the hump-shaped release lever was replaced by a triangular part. Smaller red windows, bakelite knob The next significant change was the fitting of smaller rectangular red windows, which would become typical of the Konishiroku rollfilm cameras. At first, these red windows were uncovered. Large metal knob and small uncovered windows: example pictured in Masaki, p.46 of no.10 (picture no.5). Very soon, the advance knob was replaced again. At least one example is known with a different metal knob, perhaps a transitional experiment. Example pictured in , p.10, and in this page of the Center of the History of Japanese Industrial Technology (this is perhaps the same camera). The definitive model has a black bakelite part instead. Bakelite knob and small uncovered windows: reported by Masaki, p.46 of no.10. The pictures no.6–7 are said to correspond to this variant, with or without the removable pressure plate. It is said that the next change was the introduction of a removable pressure plate, covering the whole exposure chamber. Masaki, p.46 of no.10. This version with the small uncovered windows is very uncommon, and is only known from Masaki's article. Covered red windows The next change was the adoption of red window covers, controlled by a single slider. Covered red windows, engraved shutter plate: example pictured in this page of the Yamada Camera Museum. This is also reported for picture no.8 in Masaki, p.46 of no.10. The examples pictured in , item 1152, in Zaisu Ikon, p.6 of no.223, in this page at Tomei Collection and in this page at Awane-Photo's camera museum date from the same period, but it is not known if they have red window covers or not. One isolated camera has been observed with the black-finished body and viewfinder, red window covers and the new chrome-finished shutter plate and lens bezel, probably because its lens and shutter unit was swapped at some time. This was perhaps simultaneous with the introduction of the Sakura Pan F panchromatic film by Rokuoh-sha in January 1936. This is suggested by Masaki, p.46 of no.10. Chrome plating, new shutter face Some time after the introduction of red window covers, the Baby Pearl received a new chrome finish, reportedly announced in January 1938. Date: Masaki, p.46 of no.10; Awano, p.1 of no.42. The body edges were covered with chrome instead of black lacquer, and the smaller metal parts were plated with chrome instead of nickel. The viewfinder's rear part was modified with chrome plating and a circular eyepiece. The Optor f/6.3 lens option was sold in limited numbers on the chrome-finished model: a single actual example has been observed so far. Example pictured in Omoide no supuringu-kamera-ten, p.18. A few transitional examples were made with the chrome finish and the older shutter plate, Examples pictured in Masaki, p.46 of no.10 (picture no.10), in Omoide no supuringu-kamera-ten, p.18, in Sakurai, pp.12–3 of no.127, and observed in an online auction. before it was replaced by a newer machine-stamped plate, with metal strips on both sides of the lens. At first, the new shutter face was nickel-finished and the lens bezel remained black with white engravings. Examples pictured in Masaki, p.47 of no.10 (picture no.11), offered by a Japanese dealer, and observed in online auctions. Then the shutter parts became chrome-finished and the lens bezel was replaced by a chrome rim with black engravings. Example pictured in Masaki, p.47 of no.10 (picture no.13), and examples observed in online auctions. It is said that a special edition of the chrome model was made with red or green leather covering, called the Lady's Pearl, Red or green covering: Masaki, p.46 of no.10. Lady's Pearl: Lewis, p.51. but no surviving example has yet been observed. Luxury f/3.8 version In June 1937, Date: Masaki, p.46 of no.10; Awano, p.1 of no.42. some months before the introduction of the chrome model, a luxury version (高級型) was released with a Hexar Ser.1 f/3.8 lens. The announce column in Sakura no Kuni shows the price of . Document reproduced in Awano, p.3 of no.42. This version is very uncommon, and was certainly produced in limited numbers. At least one example, pictured in articles by Awano and Masaki, is known with a black bezel, marked Hexar Ser.1 with a low three-digit serial number. Example pictured in Awano, no.42, and in Masaki, p.46 of no.10 (picture no.9). The lens number is 263. It has the older black body and viewfinder, combined with the new shutter face described above. This might indicate that the new shutter plate was first introduced on the luxury model, before the introduction of the chrome model, This is suggested by Masaki, pp.46–7 of no.10. or that this particular camera is a transitional example assembled with mismatched parts. A couple other examples, pictured in and in Awano's article, have a chrome bezel, marked Hexar Ser.II with a four-digit serial number. Examples pictured in , item 1154, and in Awano, no.42. The latter has lens no.2012. (The new lens name perhaps reflects a change in the optical formula.) They have the chrome body and viewfinder, and the new shutter face. Documents dated 1939–40 It seems that the pictures used in contemporary advertisements were outdated and do not reflect the actual version sold at the time. Advertisements in the January, May and September 1939 issues of use the same picture, showing a very early camera, with the earliest type of shutter plate and the old viewfinder eyepiece. Advertisements reproduced in , p.82. The picture was retouched for the May issue only, pretending that the camera has chrome body edges and a chrome viewfinder. The January advertisement lists all four lens options: * Optor f/6.3, ; * Optor f/4.5, ; * Hexar f/4.5, ; * Hexar f/3.8, . This price is barely legible. The May and September advertisements only list the Optor lenses. The official list of set prices compiled in October 1940 and published in January 1941 lists three versions, called "Baby Pearl I" (¥28), "Baby Pearl II" (¥48) and "Baby Pearl III" (¥65). , type 1, sections 3, 4B and 6B. These probably correspond to the f/6.3, f/4.5 and f/3.8 lenses respectively. (The rigid system of set prices does not distinguish between the three-element Optor and the four-element Hexar.) Black lacquer again After some time, the chrome finish was abandoned and the camera edges were covered with black lacquer again. This new generation of black cameras, called "semi-chrome" in Masaki's article, probably dates from the early 1940s. They have the new chrome-plated viewfinder with round eyepiece and the new shutter plate design with chrome-finished parts, and normally have a chrome lens bezel. Examples pictured in this article, in Masaki, p.47 of no.10 (picture no.14), in , item 1153, in Zaisu Ikon, p.7 of no.57, offered by a Japanese dealer, and observed in online auctions. None of these cameras has yet been observed with the new shutter plate design in the transitional nickel finish, probably indicating that the black lacquered cameras were completely replaced by the chrome finished model for some time. These "semi-chrome" cameras normally have a chrome lens rim, but an isolated camera has been observed with an Optor f/6.3 lens in a black bezel. The Optor f/6.3 has never been observed with a chrome rim. It was perhaps only made with the black bezel, and was probably withdrawn soon after. On at least some examples, the words ROKUOH–SHA''and ''MADE IN JAPAN are embossed in the leather covering of the back door, near the hinge. Example pictured in this page, and examples observed in online auctions. The last wartime mention of the camera is in the April 1943 government inquiry on Japanese camera production. , items 172–3. This document lists only two versions, with the Optor f/4.5 and Hexar f/4.5 lens — the latter is called "Baby Pearl II". Postwar examples The production of the Baby Pearl was continued after 1945. As said above, it seems that the cameras made after that date are distinguished by Konishiroku markings. Few postwar documents are known to mention the Baby Pearl. A single advertisement is reported, in the October 1946 issue of . , p.358. The list of set prices released in July 1946 has the Baby Pearl with Hexar lens for ¥960. Lewis, p.60. By September 1947, the set price was ¥2,440, reflecting the high inflation of the time. Lewis, p.62. The camera is mentioned again in an article in December 1949 on Japanese camera production. December 1949, pp.36–7. This document lists the Optor f/4.5 and Hexar f/4.5 lenses, but none of the postwar examples observed so far has an Optor lens, and this perhaps refers to the cameras available on the second-hand market. The earliest cameras still have the Rokuoh-sha marking on the shutter, and have an intermediate form of lens marking: Konishiroku N°xxxxx Hexar Ser.1 1:4.5 f=50m.m. Examples observed in online auctions. Some are still embossed ROKUOH–SHA and MADE IN JAPAN on the back. The picture in December 1949 shows the same lens marking, and the name Konishiroku on the shutter face. Picture in December 1949, p.36. Later examples have a newer lens marking: Konishiroku N°xxxxx Hexar 1:4.5 f=50mm. Example pictured in Masaki, p.47 of no.10 (picture no.15), and example observed in an online auction. At least some of these have a new pressure plate attached to the back door, instead of the removable plate of the prewar and wartime models. Masaki, p.47 of no.10. It seems that the embossing on the back cover became KONISHIROKU around that time. Masaki, p.47 of no.10. Body release The Baby Pearl was modified once again by the addition of a body release on the viewfinder's left. It is said that lens coating was added at the same time. Masaki, p.47 of no.10; Lewis, p.51. The former release lever was replaced by a shutter cocking lever, shaped exactly the same. The folding bed release was moved to a new position on the right of the viewfinder, opposite the body release. The bakelite advance knob inherited from the prewar period was replaced by a larger metal part. (One isolated example has been observed with an advance key instead of the metal knob, but it is not known if this fitting is original or not.) Example observed in an online auction. All the examples known so far have the Hexar f/4.5 lens with the newer markings and a number in the 6xxxx range. Examples pictured in Masaki, p.47 of no.10 (picture no.17), in Zaisu Ikon, p.6 of no.223, and observed in online auctions. Notes Bibliography Original documents * Items 172–3. * Type 1, sections 3, 4B and 6B. * December 1949. "Ōru kokusan kamera" (オール国産カメラ, All of Japanese cameras). Pp.36–7. Not seen: * Yoshikawa Hayao (吉川速男). Watakushi no Bebī Pāru (私のベビーパール, My Baby Pearl). Tokyo: Genkōsha, 1938. * Yoshikawa Hayao (吉川速男). Bebī Pāru no dainiho (ベビーパールの第二歩, Second step with a Baby Pearl). Tokyo: Genkōsha, 1939. Recent sources * Items 168 and 680. (See also the advertisements for item 170 and the pictures pp.10 and 428.) * Awano Mikio (粟野幹男). "Hekisā F3.8 tsuki Bebī Pāru" (ヘキサーF3.8付ベビーパール, Baby Pearl with a Hexar f/3.8). In no.42 (January 1981). Nishinomiya: Camera Collectors News-sha. (Detailed article on the f/3.8 version, showing two actual examples.) * Ikeuchi Kazuo (池内和夫). "Hanza Kyanon shikō" (ハンザキャノン私考, Personal thoughts on the Hansa Canon). In no.66 (December 1982). Nishinomiya: Camera Collectors News-sha. P.15. (Contains a reproduction of a column in June 1934, announcing the release of the Baby Pearl, and no other specific information on the camera.) * P.19. * Pp.51, 56, 60, 62. * Masaki Masayoshi (正木正佳). "Konica history 6. Bebī Pāru." (Konica history 6. ベビーパール. Baby Pearl.) Pp.45–7. (Thoroughly detailed article tracing the camera's evolution.) * Pp.537–8. * Miyazaki Shigemoto (宮崎繁幹). Konika kamera no 50-nen: Konika I-gata kara Hekisā RF e (コニカカメラの50年：コニカI型からヘキサーRFへ, Fifty years of Konica cameras: From the Konica I to the Hexar RF). Tokyo: Asahi Sonorama, 2003. ISBN 4-257-12038-X. * Omoide no supuringu-kamera-ten (思い出のスプリングカメラ展, Exhibition of beloved self-erecting cameras). Tokyo: JCII Camera Museum, 1992. (Exhibition catalogue, no ISBN number.) P.18. (Contains a picture and a short descriptive text.) * Sakurai Minoru (桜井実). "Bebī Pāru daikaizō-ki" (ベビーパール大改造記, Story of a heavily transformed Baby Pearl). In no.127 (January 1988). Nishinomiya: Camera Collectors News-sha. Pp.11–4. (Description of a Baby Pearl transformed by the author with a lens and shutter taken from a Konilette.) * Items 1151–4. * Zaisu Ikon (座椅子遺恨, probably a pseudonym of Y. Saji). "Besuto sanka (B-1)" (ベスト讃歌B-1, Vest hymn B-1). In no.57 (March 1982). Nishinomiya: Camera Collectors News-sha. P.7. (Contains a picture and a short descriptive text.) * Zaisu Ikon (座椅子遺恨, probably a pseudonym of Y. Saji). "Zoku Besuto sanka (B-1)" (続ベスト讃歌B-1, Vest hymn continued B-1). In no.223 (January 1996). Nishinomiya: Camera Collectors News-sha. P.6. (Contains two pictures and a short descriptive text.) Links In English: * Baby Pearl at Tomei Collection In Japanese: * Baby Pearl in this post and this post of the Junk Binbō blog * Baby Pearl in the Camera database of the Center of the History of Japanese Industrial Technology * Pages of the R. Konishi Rokuoh-sha website: ** Baby Pearl specs ** Baby Pearl picture ** Camera list with the Baby Pearl * Pages of Neco's camera collection: ** Baby Pearl (Hexar Ser.1 f/4.5, rangefinder converted), with other pictures here and here ** Baby Pearl original box * Baby Pearl at Awane-Photo's camera museum * Baby Pearl in the first page and second page of the Yamada Camera Museum * Baby Pearl in this page among 127 film cameras from A to Z at Asacame Category: Japanese 3x4 viewfinder folding Category: Konica Category: B Pearl, Baby Category: 1934